Pomodoro Technique

In our everyday lives, we normally are surrounded by distractions such as social media, checking our phones for no reason and then if you are like me - who wants to do a lot in a very small life, you beat yourself up for no reason.

One of the major obstacles we face is our focus for learning something new. This is where the Pomodoro Technique comes in handy.

How it began and what is a pomodoro?

Pomodoro is Tomato in Italian (for the literal sense) and this technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo as a time management tool. He set up a tomato based mechanical timer to intervals of 25 mins where he focused on one task in hand and removing distractions. This tool when employed, was surprisingly successful for people to learn and retain.

How it works:

1. Choose one Task and remove all necessary distractions(keep your phone away)

2. Set up the pomodoro or timer for 25 mins and focus on the task.

3. Take 5 min break after 25 mins.

4. Repeat the cycle four times.

5. After four pomodoros , take a longer break for 15-30 mins.

Why it works?

1. It reduces mental resistance of the difficulty of tasks, as we know that we are working for small fragments of time and then having a break - big tasks feel smaller.

2. Focuses more on the process rather than the outcome - As by starting the process, we direct our brains towards the execution phase and reduce the worry about how difficult the task is.

3. Creates urgency and deep focus - Since, we remove distractions - we give our brains the time to focus on one task which creates a deep focus and since this is timed(25 mins) it creates an urgency (Parkinson's Law).

My Personal modifications:

While you can choose to do the pomodoro the traditional way, we can tailor the technique to what works best for us. Here are some modifications I do to my pomodoro sessions

1. Repeat cycle only 2 times instead of 4.

2. After 25 mins, revise/recall the topic for 5 mins and then further 5 mins for just drifting off(no distractions allowed in the whole 35 min cycle).

This is what works for me, but something else might work for you - try and find what works best.

Finally, if you are looking for a Pomodoro - You can refer below things which i personally use.

1. The physical Pomodoro - I like this one because it feels better and more close to what it was intended to be. Buy it on Amazon - Here

2. The website - Since sometimes you cannot carry the physical pomodoro everywhere, this website comes in handy - Website Link - Here.

Do let me know if you have tried this technique or going to give it a try and what works best for you.